The Spring Nosegay Lyrics
Two walkers set out in spring to pick a posy. They gather daisy and May along the hedge, violets, primrose and cowslips in the meadow, a buttercup, then the snow-drop and the crocuses from the garden walk, and the poem ends with the bunch ready.
The Spring Nosegay
Come, my love, 'tis pleasant spring,
Let us make a posy gay:
Ev'ry pretty flow'r we'll bring,
Daisy white, and prickly May;
Then along the hedge we'll go,
Where the purple violets blow.
After that the primrose fair,
Looking very pale and dim;
And we'll search the meadows, where,
Cowslips grow with yellow rim;
With a butter-cup or two,
Holding little drops of dew.
Then the snow-drop, hanging low
On its green and narrow stalk;
And the crocuses, that blow
Up and down the garden walk:
All these pretty flow'rs we'll bring,
To make a posy for the spring.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-spring-nosegay/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Tune
- A skipping walking tune, with a small lift on each new flower
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Then along the hedge we'll go, | Walk your fingers along the edge of a table. |
| To make a posy for the spring. | Gather imaginary flowers into one hand and smell them. |
What Does The Spring Nosegay Mean?
A nosegay is a small bunch of flowers, the same as a posy, and the poem is a walk that collects one place by place. The speaker invites my love along, then names the flowers in order. First come daisy white and prickly May, which is the old name for hawthorn blossom, then violets along the hedge. In the meadow the walkers look for primrose and cowslips, and the butter-cup or two holds little drops of dew. The last verse moves to the garden, to the snow-drop, hanging low, and the crocuses.
There are eight flowers in all, and a child can count them as they go. Each verse covers a different place: the hedge, the meadow and the garden walk. The poem ends where it began, with the posy for the spring.
History and Origin
Four nosegay poems, one for each season, sit in the 1831 London printing of the same collection, and this is the spring one.
Learning Activities
- Flower count: read the poem slowly and hold up a finger for each flower named. The answer is eight.
- Paper posy: draw or cut out a flower for each name and glue them together into one bunch.
- Spring walk: go for a walk in spring and see which of the flowers can be found. Look, smell, and leave wild flowers growing.
- Hedge, meadow, garden: sort the flowers into the three places the verses use.